J. Wilbur Chapman
John Wilbur Chapman (1859–1918) was an American Presbyterian preacher and evangelist whose dynamic ministry bridged the 19th and 20th centuries, leaving a profound impact on American evangelicalism through his revival campaigns and hymnody. Born on June 17, 1859, in Richmond, Indiana, to Alexander H. Chapman and Lorinda McWhinney, he grew up in a devout Presbyterian family with two sisters and a brother who died in infancy. Converted at age 17 in 1876 during a revival at First Presbyterian Church in Richmond, he felt called to ministry and graduated from Oberlin College in 1879 and Lane Theological Seminary in 1882, where he was ordained that year. He married Irene Steddom in 1882, who died in 1886 after bearing three children—Bertha, Irene, and Agnes—followed by marriages to Agnes Pruyn Strain in 1888 (died 1907, with three more children) and Mabel Cornelia Moulton in 1910, who outlived him. Chapman’s preaching career began with pastorates at Liberty Presbyterian Church in Indiana and Dutch Reformed Church in Schuylerville, New York (1882–1885), followed by First Reformed Church in Albany (1885–1890) and Bethany Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia (1890–1899), which grew to over 2,000 members under his leadership. Resigning in 1899 to become a full-time evangelist, he conducted citywide revivals across the U.S., Canada, and beyond, notably partnering with Charles Alexander in 1907 for campaigns that drew millions, including a 1908 Boston revival baptizing 2,500 converts. Known for hymns like “One Day” and “Jesus! What a Friend for Sinners,” and books such as The Secret of a Happy Day, Chapman served as General Secretary of the Presbyterian General Assembly’s Evangelism Committee (1903–1918). He died on December 25, 1918, in New York City after gall bladder surgery, leaving a legacy as a preacher whose fervor and organizational skill revitalized urban evangelism, bridging Moody’s era to Billy Sunday’s.
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J. Wilbur Chapman preaches about the parallels between the Children of Israel's bondage in Egypt and the Christian's struggle with sin in the world. He emphasizes how sin is a merciless taskmaster, leaving individuals without hope and separated from God. Chapman highlights the importance of recognizing if one is still dwelling in 'Egypt,' symbolizing bondage to sin despite being saved, leading to constant defeat and a lack of true worship. Just as hope and help came to Israel, Christians can find deliverance from the power of sin through Christ.
Egypt
This dark land, in which the Children of Israel served in bondage for over four hundred years, is a perfect type of the world of sin in which the Spirit of God found us. No Egyptian taskmaster was ever more merciless and cruel than sin, and the case of no Israelite was ever more helpless or hopeless than that of a man who is lost in sin, for remember Paul's words, as he describes our lost estate (Ephesians 2:12): "At that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world." They of old in Egypt could not save themselves; the more they struggled, the more helpless they became. Is this not a perfect illustration of that condition in which we were before God saved us? But hope came to Israel, and help came to us from the very same source. But alas! it is true that one may be redeemed and may be in possession of eternal life, and still be dwelling in Egypt. It is not a difficult matter for us to determine whether we are in this position or not. Egypt was the place of bondage for Israel, and the world is the place of bondage for the Christian. If a Christian is in the world and of it, he has no deliverance from his sin. He is repeatedly making the same failure, he is constantly confessing his weakness, but alas! each day only finds him failing again, and he is of all men most miserable. He is saved from the penalty of sin, but not from its power. We find also that when Israel was in Egypt, they were all the time groaning in their bondage; and this is the experience of the Christian living in the world. It is perfectly illustrated in the seventh chapter of Romans (which doubtless was a record of Paul's own struggles); and especially in that verse which reads: "To will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not." Reader, if you are constantly groaning over your defeat, discouraged because of your failure, and losing hope because you have no song with which to praise God, it is clear evidence that while you may be in possession of eternal life, you are still dwelling in Egypt. It is also not to be forgotten that while Israel dwelt in Egypt, they were unable to worship God. So there are thousands of Christians, who have been redeemed by the blood, and kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation, and yet somehow they are utterly powerless in the matter of worship. Their prayers are like sounding brass, their testimony like a tinkling cymbal. It is because they have continued to dwell in Egypt.
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John Wilbur Chapman (1859–1918) was an American Presbyterian preacher and evangelist whose dynamic ministry bridged the 19th and 20th centuries, leaving a profound impact on American evangelicalism through his revival campaigns and hymnody. Born on June 17, 1859, in Richmond, Indiana, to Alexander H. Chapman and Lorinda McWhinney, he grew up in a devout Presbyterian family with two sisters and a brother who died in infancy. Converted at age 17 in 1876 during a revival at First Presbyterian Church in Richmond, he felt called to ministry and graduated from Oberlin College in 1879 and Lane Theological Seminary in 1882, where he was ordained that year. He married Irene Steddom in 1882, who died in 1886 after bearing three children—Bertha, Irene, and Agnes—followed by marriages to Agnes Pruyn Strain in 1888 (died 1907, with three more children) and Mabel Cornelia Moulton in 1910, who outlived him. Chapman’s preaching career began with pastorates at Liberty Presbyterian Church in Indiana and Dutch Reformed Church in Schuylerville, New York (1882–1885), followed by First Reformed Church in Albany (1885–1890) and Bethany Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia (1890–1899), which grew to over 2,000 members under his leadership. Resigning in 1899 to become a full-time evangelist, he conducted citywide revivals across the U.S., Canada, and beyond, notably partnering with Charles Alexander in 1907 for campaigns that drew millions, including a 1908 Boston revival baptizing 2,500 converts. Known for hymns like “One Day” and “Jesus! What a Friend for Sinners,” and books such as The Secret of a Happy Day, Chapman served as General Secretary of the Presbyterian General Assembly’s Evangelism Committee (1903–1918). He died on December 25, 1918, in New York City after gall bladder surgery, leaving a legacy as a preacher whose fervor and organizational skill revitalized urban evangelism, bridging Moody’s era to Billy Sunday’s.